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Aliante Station
The Station Casinos chain is a chain of ten major casinos in Las Vegas, scattered throughout the city, all of which are targeted to "locals": people who live within about 200 miles of the casino or those who drive in for a vacation. None of them are located on the Las Vegas Strip, though one is only a few blocks away, and one is on the burgeoning Boulder Strip. Aliante Station is the newest Station Casino, having opened in late 2008. It is the furthest north of any major casino in the Las Vegas area, clearly aimed at being the first casino in the growing suburbs of North Las Vegas. The economic downturn in late 2008 has left the Aliante somewhat isolated for now, as all homebuilding in the area has stopped. That's why it seems so remote - you have to drive on a highway through empty desert for 5 miles or so before getting to this luxurious resort. Some day, as homebuilding starts again, Aliante will be the hub of a growing suburban area -- but right now it seems very distant. Games Right now, having just opened, Aliante is struggling a bit to get regular poker games up and running. Their initial plans to have a large, sumptuous poker room running all hours at all limits have been scaled down to a smaller room that may close during the wee hours. As interest picks up and crowds begin to appear, the poker room will likewise expand with the demand. Wait Time: Variable; usually only one or two tables running, so seats can be available immediately or might take up to an hour. Game Nature: Mostly loose passive retirees, but a few other locals, or people who drove down from the north and don't feel like driving the additional 20 miles to the Strip. Rake: 10% rake max $4, + $1 jackpot for every pot. Posting: New players do not need to post to enter a game. Shuffling: All tables have Shufflemaster machines installed. Tournaments All tournaments have 20 minute levels. * 12 noon every day: $23 + 10 + 5 NLHE * Fri 7pm: $45 + 15 + 5 NLHE * Sun 7pm: $45 + 15 + 5 NLHE Interestingly, anyone who busts out early is allowed to resign up and re-enter as a new player, during late signup (first hour). Jackpots and Promotions Standard Station Casinos "Jumbo Jackpot" (progressive between all Station poker rooms). Royal Flush pays $250 bonus. "High Hand of the Day" (different each day): $100 All sorts of Station Casinos promotions, which differ for each casino in each month. See their website for details. Atmosphere The poker room at Aliante was an absolutely gorgeous art deco room, with 12 spacious tables, 8 TV's, and a computerized board. Huge room, tons of space, high ceilings, bright lighting. However, they moved locations to a smaller room in April 2009, after I last visited them, and I don't know what the current room looks like. Since nearly everything at Aliante is designed to look top-rate, I'm confident the poker room is also beautiful, but I have no actual details to report. Tables and Chairs: Standard Vegas 10-seat tables, with lovely rust-red felt and brown vinyl armrests with built-in cup holders. Charis are these cool post-modern swivel chairs, with wheels: very comfortable and adjustable but unusual looking. Parking: Thousands of spaces, most in the multi-story parking garage. Smoking: No smoking in the poker room. Don't know how closed off they are from the rest of the casino since they moved the location of the poker room. Service and Comps Standard casino cocktail service. Not sure about food service. Links and Notes * Next closest poker room is probably Cannery Casino * Visited by MarkT in April 2009. Category:Casinos